Home / Rebirth Short Story / Running Away Before She Gets Me / Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

All Chapters of Running Away Before She Gets Me: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

8 Chapters

Chapter 1

I opened my eyes when I felt a pat on my shoulder.In my daze, I dimly registered the doors opening. Jeannie Goodman stood in her wedding gown on the stage. She looked pure and angelic under the lights. Not even the music could drown out the audience's gasps of admiration as they praised the bride's beauty.But an icy terror had me breaking out in a cold sweat.Someone cued me to walk toward the bride. I had specifically requested this. I looked toward the stage in the distance and met Jeannie's gaze. Her lips curled, and a steely resolve came over me as I turned and bolted out the doors."The wedding's off! I will never marry her!"At once, the audience burst into an uproar.The hotel was huge, and in my panic, I could not find the right exit. Before long, Jeannie's family caught up to me.My would-be father-in-law's face was grim as he frowned at me in displeasure. "Sebastian, the wedding's about to start. Stop this nonsense and go back to wrap up the ceremony!"I shook my he

Chapter 2

To get some peace and quiet, I used the injuries I had sustained from the fall as an excuse to be hospitalized. I received plenty of calls and texts that day. Some wanted to fulfill their thirst for drama, while others called to chastise me.I could tell from the texts. "How could you do this to Jeannie, Sebastian? She cried until she fainted! Get yourself over here right now and apologize to her!"I doubted Jeannie would be upset over my running anyway from our wedding. She likely had been praying for it. She should thank me for the chance to be together with the true love of her life, Gregory.If anything, they should be the ones apologizing to me.I was still deep in my thoughts when the hospital room door opened to reveal my parents' furious faces. "Sebastian Miller! I don't know where you got the nerve to pull off something as ridiculous as jilting your bride and jumping from a building!"Do you have any idea the embarrassment you've caused us?"I didn't expect them to show

Chapter 3

For the next few days, Jeannie showed up in the morning, afternoon, and evening like clockwork. And she always brought food, which had been lovingly and painstakingly prepared.But I never ate the food or paid her any mind. She would then go about decorating the hospital room. She added cozy and homey touches here and there until it vaguely resembled the house we'd stayed in in my previous life.I grew even more unsettled after that.When Jeannie left the room, I immediately asked to be discharged and went home. Unfortunately, it didn't take long for Jeannie to track me down at my family's residence.She was rubbing my parents' shoulders and back. "Mr. and Mrs. Miller, I'm happy to come by anytime to rub your shoulders if they feel stiff."When my parents caught me coming downstairs, they said, "Sebastian just came back from the hospital. He could use a shoulder massage!"Jeannie turned her expectant gaze toward me.My parents had betrayed me, plain and simple. I could underst

Chapter 4

I went home the next day unsteady on my feet. My parents were waiting for me on the couch, and their faces were grim."You've gotten out of hand, Sebastian. How could you stay out drinking the entire night? And why would you leave a wonderful young lady like Jeannie even though you insisted on marrying her in the first place?""You will give us an explanation today. No excuses."I sobered up halfway when I heard what my parents said. Indeed, I had been the one who insisted on marrying Jeannie. And in the end, I realized that love and happiness could not be forced.…I could still remember the day I learned of Jeannie's death.It was our 25th anniversary. The day before, I had, for the first time in our marriage, pulled the divorce card on Jeannie in a rare show of stubbornness. It was all so she would celebrate our anniversary with us and commemorate my 30th year of being in love with her."If you won't come home to celebrate with me, I'll file for a divorce," I had said. It wou

Chapter 5

My frown deepened. I didn't think Jeannie had been reborn too.Then again, it made sense that she had, considering the many changes to her demeanor in this life. In the previous life, she hadn't picked up cooking until after our marriage.If she had been reborn, I figured we might as well hash things out. A dark look passed over my face as I said, "Don't bring up our previous life with me when you know damn well what you did then. Now that you're reborn, we should go our separate ways."I won't stop you from finding your true love, so stop using the investment as an excuse to bother me."Jeannie argued, "No, you don't understand. That day, when you stood before my tombstone—" Her face blanched, but before she could continue, I had security take her away.…After sorting out everything, I got on a flight bound for abroad the next day. The trip was for a project assessment, but that was a mere cover. I was actually leaving for vacation.I had given up too much for Jeannie in the p

Chapter 6

When the car pulled into the neighborhood, I could see my mom in the distance. She was standing at the doorway and staring in my direction expectantly.However, her face darkened when she noticed I had come home alone. "Why are you alone? Where's Jeannie? How could you leave a young lady at the airport and come back without her?"I raised you better than this! Jeannie's compromised so much for you. What did she do that was so horrible and unforgivable?"If my parents knew how Jeannie had treated me in my previous life, they wouldn't try this hard to get us back together. Unfortunately, I could not tell them the events of my previous life. But at least I now had a legitimate excuse for my behavior toward Jeannie.I told my mom the truth. "Jeannie came to pick me up at the airport, but she brought the man she secretly loves with her. He was her senior in college."Do you still expect me to love her after this? If you do, I must be adopted."My mom gaped at me and went still. "No, t

Chapter 7

We found a quiet place where we could be alone, but Jeannie wouldn't stop crying. Her whole body was shaking, and her words came out between sobs. With waning patience, I waited for her to pull herself together enough to speak coherently.It took a while longer for her to regain composure. She raised her sorrowful gaze to me and finally said, "Sebastian, my soul never left you even after I died. I heard what you said that day at my grave."My mind went blank. While being reborn was nothing short of a miracle, I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that Jeannie had been following me around, in soul form, after her death.How did that happen?But Jeannie's next words left me even more bewildered. "In our previous life, a hostile entity from the Otherworld took over my body. Her goal was to get close to and eliminate Gregory, but her plans did not go as smoothly as expected."Besides, my conscious mind was too strong for her to take full control of me. Whenever I regained control of

Chapter 8

I brought Jeannie to the house we stayed in our previous life. Her spirits were somewhat restored, and her cheeks were flushed with some color. But I knew she was hanging on by a thread.As the quietude of night enveloped us, Jeannie curled up in bed as pain shot through her body. She tried to shift into different positions to ease the pain, but I knew it was futile. The bone-deep pain would never go away.She didn't sleep a wink that night.Meanwhile, I lay next to her and shed silent tears. Even as my tears soaked through the sheets, I could only pretend to be asleep for Jeannie's sake. How could my heart not break at the sight of my loved one's suffering?And yet I knew each symptom that wrecked her body. I felt them as if they were mine.But when the sun rose, it filled all corners of our room with light. And we would go on as if nothing had happened.Jeannie would smile at me as she padded into the kitchen and made soup for me. She would command me to dice up the vegetables

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